The Silent Huntress
by Whovian-CapitolGirl
Summary: The lion and the lamb. The hunter and the prey. Yet Gale and Madge have a deeper connection than expected. Quickly turns Gadge. Unforunately I don't own any of these characters or the hunger games. They are all owned by Suzanne Collins.
1. Chapter 1

The Silent Huntress

_**A/N: Hi again guys! It's me, Whovian-CapitolGirl, and this is my new story The Silent huntress. For all of you who've read my other stories, hopefully the chapters for this one will be a LOT longer. Please check out my other stories (A tale of two cities) and (Dear Diary) Please, please, PLEASE review! Thanks guys! xxx**_

_Chapter 1-Strawberries_

_Katniss and I are sitting in the dining hall of District 12's school. "God, this place is way too crowded." Katniss yells over the stampede of apes around us. "Should we go to the library again?" I shout back, already packing the rest of my lunch in my bag. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea!" says Katniss, and we push and shove our way out of the dreadful room._

_Katniss Everdeen and I have been friends for 3 years. Ever since she came in late from hunting with her father and I covered for her. She's very nice, but quiet, like me. But she doesn't really like people. She doesn't know how pretty she is, nor how popular. Ever since her first day of school she's been admired by everyone…_

I was sitting in the hall on my first day of school and the music teacher spoke gently, "Who here knows the Valley song?" That's when I saw it. A small hand shot up before anyone else's. "Why don't you come up here and sing it for us then?" The girl stood up. She was wearing a red plaid dress and her long brown hair had been tied in two pigtails instead of one-just like mine. "Who's she?" I asked the blond-haired boy sitting next to me. "That's Katniss Everdeen!" he said excitedly, "My dad says that when her father sings, all the birds stop to listen, but I don't believe him." He told me quietly, as Katniss Everdeen sat on the stool at the front of the room and started to sing.

"**Down in the valley, the valley so low **

**Hang your head over, hear the wind blow **

**Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow; **

**Hang your head over, hear the wind blow. **

**Roses love sunshine, violets love dew, **

**Angels in Heaven know I love you, **

**Know I love you, dear, know I love you, **

**Angels in Heaven know I love you. **

**If you don't love me, love whom you please, **

**Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease, **

**Give my heart ease, dear, give my heart ease, **

**Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease. **

**Build me a castle, forty feet high; **

**So I can see her as she rides by, **

**As she rides by, dear, as she rides by, **

**So I can see her as she rides by. **

**Write me a letter, Send it by mail, **

**Send it in care of Birmingham Jail, **

**Birmingham Jail, love, Birmingham Jail, **

**Send it in care of Birmingham Jail."**

Everybody sat silently. "Papa was right," the boy next to me said, "Listen." So I did. All was silent for a minute but then something strange happened. A baby mockingjay flew over to the window of the hall, and started singing Katniss' song. Then more came. And more came. Soon, the air was filled with a hundred mocking jays, singing the Valley song back and forth to each other. "Wow." I whispered in awe. Then I looked back to the front of the hall. Katniss Everdeen was still sitting on the stool, waiting to be excused…

_I snap out of my daydream to find Katniss and I are already at the library doors. "Come on then." Katniss says, a little softer this time. "Ok." I reply with a small smile, as Katniss opens the doors that lead to my favourite place in the school._

_We sit down and get out our lunch-Katniss' sandwiches and my strawberries. We sit and eat in blissful silence. That's what I like about Katniss. She's always quiet, and prefers quiet company, like me. I offer some strawberries to Katniss and she hands me a sandwich in return. We smile at each other and then the doors of the library open swiftly to reveal him…_

_He enters the room quickly and takes a seat next to Katniss. "Hey Catnip! Thought I'd find you in here. Hall a bit too crowded for you?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. 'Wow!' I think, 'he's amazing.' "You know it is Gale," Katniss replies, eating one of my strawberries, "It always is." Gale eyes up the strawberries sitting in the middle of the table. "Would you like some?" I offer quietly. Oh my gosh, his eyes are amazing. Delightfully grey, pale but powerful – the eyes of a hunter. So different to my rare blue ones. Almost everyone in District 12 either has brown eyes or green eyes or grey eyes from the Seam. I think the only people in our year who have blue eyes are me, Delly Cartwright and Peeta Mellark. "If you don't mind Madge." Gale says cautiously. _

"_Of course I don't mind. Wouldn't be offering if I did, would I?" I reply a little bolder. It gets just the reaction I was after, as Gale gives me his most dazzling smile, the one he usually saves for Katniss. I envy their closeness. They go out hunting every weekend and are almost inseparable the rest of the time. They know each other so well, yet Katniss can't see the look in his eyes when he makes her laugh, the way he scowls when he sees other boys eyeing her up. Gale almost beat up that Peeta Mellark when he found him following her home. Luckily Rory was there so Gale wouldn't do anything. Rory looks up to his brother like he's a God. Of course Gale doesn't know this, but I have friends everywhere. _

"_Hello? Earth to Madge?" Gale says as Katniss raises her eyebrows at me. _

"_Sorry, guys, I guess I must have zoned out!" I reply, shaking my head, "What were you saying?"_

"_I said, where did you manage to find strawberries? I always look out for them at this time of the year, but I never find any!" Gale says. _

"_Easy! I get them behind the Seam, next to the coal mine. The dust layer actually foliates the soil so it makes them extra big." I tell him, and I watch the look of awe sink in on his flawless face._

"_Ahh." _

"_You were looking in the woods weren't you? They won't grow there. Mother took me out there one day when she wasn't feeling as bad. Taught me about all the different plants. I had a look at the positions of the strawberry plants. They're all too close together. The roots don't have enough space to grow and therefore all of the sunlight they get won't give them enough photosynthesis so the strawberries will only be as big as your finger nail and they will sourer than last month's milk." Gale stares at me and Katniss' jaw drops._

"_I didn't know you knew plants!" Katniss outbursts._

"_Of course I do. How else do you think I get by? Just because I live in a big house doesn't mean I live by any better standards than you lot. My father spends all our money on trying to help my mom and I spend all my free time playing the piano and gathering by the lake." I reply to Katniss' shock._

"_I had no idea you snuck out the fence." Gale says calmly. He looks at me strangely, as if his whole view of me is changing. "Haven't you been caught?"_

"_No. I go to the lake. I've never been taught how to hunt so I practise tying knots, identifying plants, climbing, hiding and rendering myself invisible."_

"_But why?" Katniss questions._

"_Because," I start as the bell rings, " you aren't the only ones who have to sign up for the tesserae."_


	2. 2 Auntie May

Chapter 2-Auntie May

"_Madge, you need to wake up! You've got one hour until we need to be at the city square." I open my eyes and look at the time on the clock on my dresser and let out a groan. "But Dad! It 7:45 in the morning! The reaping doesn't start until noon! Why can't I go just go up with the other kids?!" Because Madge. Unlike the other kids, you have a life. You have a nice home and a good family. But with that comes certain responsibilities. You should know this by now." Father storms out the room and slams the door. _

_I reluctantly climb out of bed, sit at my dresser and start combing my hair. I stifle a yawn and see the door open, revealing a thin woman leaning against the doorframe. "Madge? May I come in?" she whispers nervously, glancing behind her shoulders at the shadows on the wall. "Of course, please sit down." I say, patting the bed beside me as she quickly but elegantly creeps her way into the room, silently shutting the door behind her. _

"_I thought I might be able to do your hair for today, if you wanted me to." She murmurs, standing up to rake through my wardrobe until she finds what she wants. "Of course Mother! But only if you want to." I reply. "Yes please Madge," she sighs miserably and then pulls out a white, knee-length dress. "Mother?" I whisper, placing my brush back on the dresser and cautiously walking towards her. Tears overspill her eyes as she clutches the dress to her chest and sinks to the floor sobbing. "Momma?" I choke out as she bawls noiselessly. I kneel on the floor and pull my mother into my arms, stroking her hair and waiting for the tears to stop flowing down her cheeks._

_After 10 minutes of tears, mother finally wipes away the mascara stains on her cheeks and sniffles, "This dress was my sister's. She wore in the 50__th__ Hunger Games, where she was killed. She helped Mr Abernathy defy the Capitol and now, this is all we have left of her." She lays it out on the bed along with a pair of white pumps and a flower hairclip. "Momma, why didn't you tell me?" I ask watching as my mother fiddles with the hem on the silken garment. "I don't know. I just couldn't let her go." Her voice catches and I pull her close before she stands up and hands me the dress. "She would've wanted you to have it," she straightens the hem on her shirt and tucks her hair behind her ears before leaving the room, "Come and get me when you're ready and I'll do your hair." _

_I move in front of the mirror by my window and look down at my auntie's dress. It fits perfectly, but something seems wrong about it. I adjust the sleeves on it and a piece of paper falls from a pocket._

_**My dearest sister,**_

_**I write this not knowing if I will ever see you again. I'm so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye. It was too crowded and there were so many people! I only hope that this note will never have to be received, and that if it is, I am there to see you read it. Please Rosalie; don't cry when you read this. Too many tears have been wasted. **_

_**I am currently in my room in the penthouse of the Capitol tribute centre. I really don't like the Capitol. It's too bold and everybody looks mutated and twisted! I even saw a seamstress who had been dyed to look like a cat - she had whisker implants! Everything is so crazy!**_

_**I didn't want to have to leave you Rose. If it were up to me, the Hunger Games would've ended before they even began. But you never know, I may have a chance. I could win. I overheard Haymitch Abernathy talking to himself. He said I was dangerous, but that I was more of a threat because nobody knows what I can do. He's a good fighter, and has good tactics, but he's too loud. Nobody knows me because nobody hears me. If I just stick to the health skills in training nobody will look at me twice. And if I purposely get a low training score, I may be able to run away from the cornucopia in the arena without being spotted. All of stronger people are so self-centred, they won't even realise they missed me. There are twice as many people, so surely I will not be noticed.**_

_**I am sorry my beautiful baby sister. I didn't want it to happen like this. I hope that I will see you again before you get this. Remember Rose, stick to the basics. I left my training notes in your bedroom, in the mirror, where they are safe from harm. I cut the wires on the fence, they shouldn't be electric anymore and so I want you to go out there every day. Look at the berries, at the leaves, at the animals. Look at them and remember me. Look at them, and keep yourself safe. **_

_**I have given my mockingjay pin to Hazelle. She will give it back to you once the Peacekeepers have emptied out of our District. Please Rose, keep yourself safe. If I don't survive I want you to live for me. I want you to live life just as if I'm still there beside you. And you never know, if you wish hard enough, I may be home in time for your birthday! **_

_**I hope that you will never receive this letter. But if you do, then I it means that I am dead. I love you. I'm sorry.**_

_**Maysilee**_

_A tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away as the door slowly opens to reveal my mother, now in a light blue dress and jacket. "Madge? What's wrong?" the look of concern on her face almost kills me as I choke out, "Mom, you have a message." The tears start flowing more freely now as mother reads the message left to her from her only sister and she breaks out into violent, heart-wrenching sobs that seem to shake the room. "Oh god," she whispers, "I thought she'd left me. The way she acted in the arena, she just looked like she didn't care. Like she was just a playing piece in the games. I thought she'd forgotten!" Mom picks herself off of the floor and sits on the bed, wiping the make-up marks off her cheeks and checking to ensure that her hair still sits perfectly in place. "Mom, I'm so sorry. Dad didn't even tell me you had a sister."_

"_I didn't want you to know. If you knew, then you could've rebelled against the capitol, and District 12 has already been tortured enough. And anyone could overhear the conversation and then tell everybody. I want to remember Maysilee the way she was before that dreadful reaping-happy, alive, vibrant," she says, smoothing the bedsheet._

"_ROSE! MARGARET! GET DOWN HERE! WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!" dad roars up the stairs. _

_Mom puts a white flower pin into my curls and pulls me into a big cuddle, something I can never remember her doing. "Come on then my flower. Let's go before your father smashes the house down." She gives a feeble smile as I giggle at mom's joke. Then we head downstairs, hand in hand, to face the Reaping…_


	3. 3Sobbing on the Sofa

Chapter 3- Forgotten

"_Ms Trinket! I hope you are well?" my father politely asks as I sulk in the corner. I cannot believe this. It's 8 30 in the morning, with three and a half hours until the reaping. Why do I have to sit around here? How come __**I **__get stuck here? It's not like I'M the mayor! Why can't I just go the reaping when all the others do? It's bad enough that everybody assumes that I'm rolling in the riches, when I'm just the same as everyone else!_

"_Yes, I am, Mr Undersee. How is your wife?" Effie replies, with that stupid pink grin plastered on her face. She disgusts me. How can someone be so happy at this time? Has she no heart? SHE SENDS CHILDREN TO DIE, FOR A LIVING! Why would anyone in their right mind do that? "She is better, thank you. The medication she's getting has definitely calmed her down. She's a lot more sociable now as well," father replies with a smile. How he doesn't find this tedious I will never know. _

"_That's brilliant news! I shall have to speak to her today. I feel like it's been ages since I've seen her. This must be Margaret!" she says, turning towards me and smiling. She gives me a small wave. "You look so grown up! And I love your dress! It's so elegant!" she says to me, desperate to make conversation. But I find myself unable to even look at her. Usually I admire her style, her voice, her poise. But ever since last year when father first brought me here early, I haven't seen her in quite the same light as before. _

"_Thank you," I reply coldly. I don't care about 'manners' anymore. "It belonged to my mother's late sister. I believe you know her. Maysilee Donner?" _

_Her smile drops and she finally realises my hatred for what she does. Her eyes start to fill with tears. Well what does she expect? Her job is inhumane! Thankfully mom enters the room before the situation can get any worse. "Ahh, Effie! How are you? You look so radiant!" she says quickly with a flourishing smile. Effie clears her throat and smiles once more. " I'm good, thank you. I was just saying how lovely Margaret's dress is. Where did you find such lovely material?" she asks, enthused once more. "Well, the dress was my sisters. I don't know where it was made, it was too long ago when Maysilee got it." She replies, "Madge, why don't you go and see Katniss? I'm sure Emily will've gotten her up by now." She gives me a sly wink, knowing how torturous I find these meetings. "Ok mother," I say, smiling at her, "It was nice to meet you Ms Trinket." I give her a polite nod –for my father's sake- and walk out of the town hall._

_I calmly walk behind Greasy Sae's in the Hob. I love this place more than words can say. It's always busy so nobody really notices if you look out of place. "Alright Madge?" a voice asks from behind. "Darius! I didn't think you'd be here, with it being reaping day." I reply eagerly. I like Darius. He's funny, but he always knows where to draw the line. "Stealing some more strawberries?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. "It's not stealing. Technically my father owns this place, and if I don't get them, then who will?" He pauses, considering my statement and then smiles. "Very valid point. Off you go then before anyone sees," he tells me, then turns and walks into Greasy Sae's. _

_After picking a handful of the biggest, ripest strawberries, I turn the corner. I suddenly walk straight into a tall dark figure. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going!" I quickly say. I run home as quickly as possible and shut the door. That was close. Peacekeepers just seem to be everywhere today!_

_The doorbell rings, making me jump out of my skin. I walk over and open it to find Gale and Katniss holding some fresh strawberries from over the fence. They only really sell to my father because they know he can afford to pay for it. Father can't actually stand strawberries, but mom says that they remind her of her family, so father always makes sure he has some money left aside for them. "Pretty dress," Gale says. I stop for a moment and try to figure what he means. Does he really like it? Or I she just being sarcastic? I press my lips together in concentration and smile as an idea comes to me. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" now it's Gale's turn to look confused. "You won't be going to the Capitol. What can you have? Five entries? I had six by the time I was just twelve years old." He practically sneers at me. He obviously forgot our conversation. I'm not surprised, it was two weeks ago. But still, I didn't think he'd forget me that quickly. "That's not her fault," Katniss replies. She must have forgotten as well. Or maybe she didn't. No, she didn't. I remember now. When Gale started talking to me Katniss looked angry. Maybe she told him to back off. I wouldn't be surprised. Our whole friendship is based on our lack of social skills. And not mentioning that Gale is the only boy in the school who could have anyone he wants. But he only sees Katniss. "No, it's not her fault. Just the way it is," he says. I can feel my body shaking as I put the money for the berries in Katniss' hand. "Good luck Katniss." I say. I struggle to stay calm as Katniss replies, "You too," and I shut the door._

_I walk over to the fridge, put the strawberries in the fruit drawer for mom and sit down on the chair in the living room. Tears fall down my cheeks as I collapse into sobs on the sofa. "He hates me. He really hates me!" I whisper in between sobs as the light's start to fade. "He hates me, and I love him."_

_**A/N: I'm really sorry that this chapter is so short. I tried to extend the ending but I wanted to keep it as close to the book as possible, so I didn't really have much legroom for extra details. Really Sorry guys! Please keep reviewing! I love reading about what you think! Thank you to GoChlollie, Tributedvictor1 and Future light for the support! I really appreciate it!**_

_**Whovian-CapitolGirl x**_


	4. 4 The mockingjay pin

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while guys, I've been really busy for a while; balancing school and out-of-school activities AND attempting to have a social life is a lot harder than you'd think! I will try to update all my stories more often. But here we go-the fourth chapter. Sorry the reaping is being dragged out, I'm trying to add in as much detail as possible. **

_Chapter four-The Mockingjay Pin_

_I walk up to the female peacekeeper and offer her my hand. She pricks it with a needle and harshly shoves my bleeding finger onto paper and logs me into the Capitol database. "Margaret?" she questions. She looks just behind my shoulder at the ever-growing queue. The smallest of the lambs being shepherded by ruthless men with ice-white hearts. She smiles flirtatiously at Darius and then turns her attention back to me. I nod and she replies flatly, "Stay in line and stand with your age group." _

_I calmly walk through the thick of the crowd to stand next to Delly Cartwright, a girl in my year. I envy Delly. She never has anything bad to say about anyone, and everyone loves her. So how come, even though I am the same as Delly, everybody seems to hate me? _

"_Hey Madge!" she says bouncing with enthusiasm. _

"_Hi Delly, how are you doing?" I reply with a fake smile._

"_I'm as good as ever! How's your mom? I saw her earlier and she looked a lot better than before!" _

"_She's great thanks Delly, she's a little bit down, what with it being the reaping, but I really think she's getting better!" _

"_Oh, hey Katniss, how're you doing?" _

_Delly suddenly turns her attention to Katniss, who has slid in beside me. Katniss opens her mouth to speak but before she can Effie totters upon the stage and clears her throat, tapping the microphone to make sure it's on. _

"_Welcome, welcome!" she says in that Capitol accent which everyone takes the mick out of. Personally, I like it. It doesn't suit some people, but as much as I hate to admit it, it works with her. "So, before we begin we are going to watch a short presentation prepared for you by The Capitol!" I really hate the way she pronounces her origin. 'The Capitol!' She makes it sound so amazing, so perfect, instead of revealing it for what it really is. Katniss sighs and turns around to see Gale as the video fills the screens on each side of the stage. _

"_War. Terrible war._ Once, the citizens on Panem rebelled against their leaders in the Capitol. This war killed many men, women and children. These days are now known as 'The dark days.' After the dark days, the Capitol and all of the districts signed a treaty. _From the treaty of the treason: In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public "Reaping." These Tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol. And then transferred to a public arena where they will fight to the Death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as The Hunger Games." _

_I look at Katniss to see her laughing, as usual. I look at her questioningly, but she just shakes her head. I let out a sigh and Delly gives me a half-smile of sympathy. She is the only person who knows how much I envy Katniss and Gale. Luckily, Delly isn't a tell-tale. I give her a small smile back and then Effie speaks again._

"_Ohh, I just love that!" she says smiling. She meets my eyes and then quickly looks away, seeing the pain she is inflicting by dragging it out. "Right, let's start with the girls then, shall we?" She walks over the first bowl, takes off her glove and puts her manicured hand into the glass container and moves her hand about. She then moves her hand into the swarm of names and pulls out a perfectly folded piece of paper. She wobbles back to the middle of the stage and unfolds the slip that condemns another child to their gruesome end. She clears her throat and speaks out the name that made me heart stop._

"_Primrose Everdeen." She scans the crowd looking for her. She is standing at least 5 rows in front of us, but I can still see all of the children around her move away to reveal her. I become frozen to the spot as two peacekeepers take her by the arms and start to pull her up to the stage. Oh god. Why Prim? She's got to be the most innocent, caring child in the whole of Panem! "Oh god," I whisper aloud, and I hear Delly gasp. We both seem to have forgotten about Katniss. Until we hear her scream. _

"_STOP! I VOLUNTEER!" Everybody gasps as Katniss bursts out the crowd. "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" she yells, as if she's scared that they won't hear her. The peacekeepers let go of Prim as Effie claps her hands together. _

"_Well, I believe that we have a volunteer!" she says into the microphone. She sounds just as surprised as the rest of us. I don't know why, I mean, if my sister was reaped I'd do the exact same thing. "NO! NO, KATNISS NO! PLEASE, NOO!" Prim cries as Gale moves out of the crowd and grabs her by the waist, pulling her to the back before nodding at Katniss, his eyes filled with tears. Prim thrashes about, punching Gale in the jaw and kicking him in the stomach. I run out of the crowd to help him and I grab Prim's arms, stopping her from hurting Gale as she proceeds to kick and bite me instead. I turn my head momentarily to see Katniss on the stage shaking._

"_So dear, what's your name?" Effie asks, turning the microphone towards Katniss. _

"_Katniss Everdeen." She replies shortly, staring at Gale._

"_Oh," Effie says, and I swear I see her smile drop, "I'll bet my hat, that was your sister." _

"_Yes," Katniss chokes. _

_I see Delly bring her three fingers to her lips and then put them in the air as a salute. Soon, everyone in the square is doing it, even my mother, who has stood up on the stage and moved onto the floor to comfort Mrs Everdeen._

"_We'd better move on the boys then."_

_I have to turn back around and let go of Prim's arms to wrap them around her waist and pull her onto me so that Gale can leave. He looks at me, watching Prim claw at me whilst his eyes water. "Thank you," he whispers to me, and he runs out of the square as a small blonde haired boy called Peeta steps up to the stage._

_Mrs Everdeen runs towards me and tries to stop Prims fighting, only to fail and get hit across the face. "Prim? Prim!" she yells over the crowd that's now rushing out of the square. Prim kicks her in the stomach and Mrs Everdeen falls to the floor. "Mrs Everdeen! We need to get into the town hall!" I shout. We shove our way through the congregation using my back as a shield so that nobody else gets hurt by the screaming Prim._

_By the time we get to the town hall I have bruises on my arms, legs, stomach and face. We reach the double doors and I put Prim on the floor and kneel in front of her. "Prim? We need to go see Katniss. Can you please stop hurting me?" I say quietly. When Prim finally calms down I stroke her hair and pull her into a hug. "There we go! We can't let Katniss see you break down, can we? It'll just make her more worried," I look her in the eyes and she gives a weak smile, "Now, you need to go with your mom and see Katniss and tell her that you're ok, because otherwise she'll be upset, and we can't have that!" Prim nods and wipes her eyes. "So can you do that for me?" She nods and I give her a smile, a real smile. _

"_Are you here to see the tributes?" a peacekeeper asks._

"_Yes sir, we are." Mrs Everdeen replies, getting a hold on Prim's hand. I stand up with them and walk into the hall. _

_The first thing I see is white. Everything is white. White and brown. All of the walls are white. All of the windows are white. Everyone's clothes brown. All the doors are brown. The monotonic colours make me feel sick. You'd think they would either make it look posh or business-y. But no. Because District 12 is 'at the bottom of the heap' we get the worst décor in the world. "Miss Everdeen is in the through the door on the left, Mr Mellark is through the door on the right." The peacekeeper says to us._

"_Thank you," I say, and I run towards the seats outside the two doors, pulling Prim and Mrs Everdeen with me. I sit in the seat closest to the door and Mrs Everdeen and Prim go in to see her. I pull out a mirror and some concealer and start covering my wounds when I hear a door open. I turn around to see Mr Mellark, the town baker, leaving the room that holds his son, his eyes red. My heart brakes as I watch him sit down on the chairs outside the room and break down. He starts sobbing, his head in his hands. Before I realise what is happening, I find myself sitting next to him, handing him a tissue. "Thanks Madge," he whispers as his wife enters the corridor and Mrs Everdeen and Prim leave the room where Katniss is. "It's no problem sir." _

_I walk into the room that holds my only friend and she gives a smile. "Katniss I'm so, SO sorry! This shouldn't be happening to you!" I run up to her a pull her into a bone-crushing hug. She accepts for a minute and then pulls away to look at me. "Katniss, I have something that I want you to take with you. Every tribute is allowed a token from their district, and I want you to have this." I open my hand and give her the pin that mom gave to me for my first reaping. A golden mockingjay in flight, with an arrow-my mother's best weapon. "It will bring you luck," I say, replenishing the memory. Katniss looks at me sadly and then stares at the pin. "I can't take this," she whispers._

"_You have to. Please, you need to have something to remember us by when you go into the arena. You need to have something to remember your friends by." A tear rolls down Katniss' cheek and she hastily wipes it away in an attempt to look strong. But I know that she isn't. Unlike everyone else in this godforsaken town, I can see all emotion before I even begins. _

_I hear a weak sob from outside the door. "I'd better go," I say, "I think someone else wants to see you." _

"_Madge?" she says from across the room as I open the door, "Thank you. For everything."_

_I step back into the corridor and Mr Mellark steps into the room to see Katniss. I sit back down and put my head in my hands. "Madge?" I hear a small voice and look up to see Gale standing across the hallway from me. "Oh god," he whispers and he walks over to me. "Did Prim do __**all **__of this to you?" he asks, moving a piece of my hair behind my ears and looking at the poorly hidden cuts and bruises on my face. I struggle to breathe as he kneels beside me and starts to shake. "G-Gale, don't," I say. He wipes away tears that I didn't even realise were streaming down my face._

"_I am so sorry Madge. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't watch her standing up there!" I grab Gale's hand and lift up his head so that he has to look at me. "Gale, its ok. I understand." _

_Katniss' door opens and Mr Mellark walks out, still sniffling. Gale looks at me and then stands up. "I have to go."_

_And with that he walks in to see Katniss, leaving alone me once again, to sit and cry._


	5. 5-My love,My saviour

_**A/N: OK, hi. Sorry I haven't updated much, but I've been busy, and since nobody reviews, I just leave it until someone does review. (Or I get bored.) I know that this story is going slow, but it should pick up soon. And hopefully more people will find my story more interesting. Please tell me what you think of the length of this chapter, because it's a bit longer than usual, but if it's ok, I'll try to keep them at this length. Thank yoouuu!**_

_**Whovian-CapitolGirl **_____

Chapter 5- My love, My Saviour

**Madge**

_I run from the house in my red cloak. Hopping through the fence, I run my usual path towards the lake house. Katniss told me about it all the time, and when I decided to see it for myself, I found the bets strawberry patch imaginable. I sit down in the middle of the field, and recall the events of the day…_

"_**And now, we now her as the girl on fire, Katniss Everdeen!" Caesar's voice yelled from the TV. "Madge, Madge she's coming on! Hurry!" my mom shouted from the living room. I ran in and sat next to Posy on the floor. Katniss confidently crept out in a red dress. I heard Gale gasp and tears started to well up in my eyes. Luckily nobody noticed. She shook his hand and then sat down one of the plush cushions. "So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District 12. What's impressed you the most since you arrived here?" Katniss looked at the crowd, obviously oblivious to Caesar's question. She looked out for someone in the crowd, and the camera zooms in to show a man with gold eyeliner giving her a thumbs up. Caesar tried again. "What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" he asked. Katniss pondered for a minute before answering, "The lamb stew." The crowd laughed with Caesar and Katniss smiled slightly. "The one with the dried plums?" inquired. Katniss nodded and Caesar grinned again, showing all of his perfectly white teeth. "Oh, I eat it by the bucketful," he commented. He then turned sideways to the camera, a concerned look on his face. "It doesn't show, does it?" Katniss laughed and the audience shook their heads and shouted "no!"**_

"_**Now, Katniss," he started confidentially, "when you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart stopped." He put his hand over his heart to emphasize his point. "What did you think of that costume?" Katniss focused on the man in the crowd again. "You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" she asked. The crowd roared with laughter, whilst Katniss looked confused, unaware of her joke. "Yes. Start then," Caesar chortled. Katniss once more looked at the man with the gold eyeliner. "I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this either." She lifted up her skirt and spread it out around her. "I mean, look at it!" Katniss smiled and the audience cooed over her beautiful outfit. She spun in a circles and the bottom of her dress burst into flames. Her hair became loose, but she seemed unfazed by it all. "Don't stop!" Caesar complained. "I have to, I'm dizzy!" she giggled. Caesar wrapped his arm around her protectively, and dragged her back to the couch. "Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps, can we?" he jokes. The camera flicked to Haymitch, who waves everybody away, pointing back at Katniss. I notice that Haymitch held Effie's hand under the chair. I looked around, but nobody seemed to see it. **_

"_**It's all right," Caesar reassures him. "She's safe with me." Katniss regained her balance and Caesar continues. "So, how about that training score? E-le-ven. Give us a hint about what happened in there." I could instantly see Katniss hesitate, and glance up to the balcony where the Gamemakers were sitting. She trembled slightly before replying. "Um… all I can say is, I think it was a first."**_

_**The camera turned to the Gamemakers, who were chuckling and nodding. "You're killing us! Details! Details!" Caesar clapped his hands in frustration. Katniss addressed Mr Crane. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?" Another Gamemaker, shouted out. "No, she's not!" Katniss looked relieved. "Thank you. Sorry, my lips are sealed."**_

_**Caesar sighed, and then said, "Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping and you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?" Katniss swallowed, and let out an inaudible sigh. "Her name's Prim. She's only twelve. And I love her more than anything." **_

"_**I love you too," she whispered. went silent, apart from Prim's sobs. I turned my head to see her in Rory's arms, crying. He stroked her hair and whispered something to her. They left the room and I looked at Gale. His eyes were red, and distant. I heard Hazelle whisper to Mrs Everdeen. "He told me the other day. He was going to tell her how he felt, but got shoved out of the room before he got the chance." Mrs Everdeen looked shocked. "What?" she asked. Hazelle looked at him, and whispered the Mrs Everdeen, "He loves her."**_

_I feel my heart breaking again. But I don't cry. I can't cry. If someone were to find me crying, I would have to explain why. And the only people who come here are Katniss and Gale. Well, only Gale, now that Katniss is in the arena. A mockingjay lands on my empty basket. I reach out, and it hops onto my hand. I let out a shaky giggle. It looks at the ripe strawberries, and I sigh. "Yeah, you're right. I need to get a grip," I tell it. It hops off of my hand and waits beside my basket. _

_I get up and start picking the strawberries, pausing occasionally to throw one for the mockingjay. When I am finished, it lightly jumps on top of my basket and I look up. The sun signals that it's a little past five. _

_I pick up my basket and start to walk back when something growls behind me. I turn on my heels to find a black dog about 50m away from me. I take a step closer, holding my hands up, when I see it properly. "Y-You're n-no dog, a-are y-you?" I stutter. It snarls and runs towards me. I curse and start to run._

_I silently dart through the tree, my feet barely touching the ground. My cloak flutters behind me, but never catches on anything. I cling to my basket of strawberries and gasp as branches behind me crack. 'I always knew that this was worst path to take! But it has all the best strawberries!' I think to myself. I take a sharp turn and hear the animal behind me skid in the mud. I sprint towards the cliff that overlooks the whole forest. I reach there, and then realise just what I've done. I swear under my breath as the mutt stalks towards me. I stumble on the edge of the cliff, rocks breaking away from under my ballet flats. The mutation growls loudly. Its grey eyes, though clouded with lust and anger, look exactly like Gale's. But then I blink, and the resemblance is gone. It pounces, and I lose my footing. My fingertips grasp the edge of the cliff, and the beast chortles, again sounding like Gale. I can almost hear his harsh words from the morning of the reaping. "__**You **__won't be going to the Capitol. You must have what, five entries? I had __**six **__by the time I was twelve years old!" Despite my efforts to ignore the mental image of his sneer, I start silently sobbing. _

_The mutt choses the exact same moment to remind me that he's there. It stands on my fingers, one by one. When I am hanging by a single finger, I close my eyes. I picture Gale laughing with Katniss. The way he smiled at me when we were sitting in the library. The way he laughs when Posy runs up to him after school. I let out one final sob. "I love you. I'm sorry," I whisper, and accepting my fate, I let go and start to fall._

**Gale**

_I run into the woods and find the hollow trunk that holds Katniss' bow and arrows. A tear leaves my eye as I remember that Mellark kid's confession. He loves her. Someone else has a chance at MY Katniss. I grab a knife and start to hunt, killing for the sake of it._

_After another painfully lonely hour of hunting, I see a red cloak fly past me through the trees, followed by a black animal. 'Funny. I've never seen one of those before.' I think. I stick my knife in my hiding place, along with the gun I stole from Darius at the Hob._

_An almost silent pitter-patter of dainty feet reaches my sensitive ears, and then I sprint towards the cloak. I catch on to the figure's route, and take the shortcut towards the cliff that Katniss and I used to visit. Hidden at the edge of the clearing, I see the silhouette properly for the first time. Black ballerina flats, and black skinny jeans cover the bottom half of her. Soft blonde curls bounce underneath the blood-red silken hood that obscures her face. She holds a woven basket of something, but her cloak veils its content. Her running speeds up to a full-blown sprint as the creature gains on her. _

_She reaches the edge of the cliff and I swear I could hear a melodious voice swear. I turn to the beast and finally study it. Crap. I finally see that this is no ordinary woodland dog. Instead, it's a stray mutt from the Capitol. It turns its head towards me and stares me in the eye. Looking into its blue orbs, I see Madge. I see the anger on her face when I shunned her in front of Katniss. I see the pain she tried to hide yesterday when I left her with Prim. I gasp, trying to distract it from the girl, but it smirks and turns its head, paying full attention to the trembling girl in front of him. It stalks towards her and I hear a whimper. It pounces and she flails backwards, falling. I run out to try save her, but the muttation growls at me. It steps on her fingers slowly, teasing me._

_I peek over the edge to see if I could survive jumping for her. No chance. The cliff is a sheer 100m drop, and there's nothing to hold onto. I see the basket next to my feet. She must have dropped it. I look into it and see a nightmare unfold before my eyes. Strawberries. And there's only one girl in District 12 who loves strawberries this much…Madge. _

_I punch the mutt, knocking it unconscious and breaking a few knuckles in the process. I grimace through the pain, but reach for Madge's hand. "Madge! MADGE! Madge! Can you hear me?" I yell. But I get no response. The red hood falls off of her face, and I see her eyes closed, and tears streaming down her face. She appears to be in some sort of trance, but then when I am about to grab her hand, she sobs, and then goes still. "I love you. I'm sorry," she whispers, and then lets go of the cliff. "Madge!" I yell, and lunge for her hand…_

**Gale**

_I walk into the living room with another blanket. "How's she doing Mrs Everdeen?" Mrs Undersee asks, stroking her daughter's forehead with her fingertips. Prim takes the blanket out of my hand and slips it around Madge's mother. "She still unconscious, but it's only been an hour. I have no doubts that she's going to be fine Rose," Mrs Everdeen answers, placing a hand on Mrs Undersee's shoulder. Prim looks at me and then pulls on her mother's sleeve. She gestures towards me with her head and Mrs Everdeen nods at her. "Rosalie, why don't we go into the kitchen and give Gale a bit of space," Mrs Everdeen suggested. Mrs Undersee looked at her funnily, then caught on when Prim looked between Madge and I. "_OH! _Yes, of course Em. I think I've got a treat somewhere for Prim," she replies, and then they flee the room. _

_I kneel beside Madge's head and stroke her curls. I feel my eyes water at the memory of Madge falling. She was so tranquil, at one with what she must've thought was her fate. And then when I caught her, she just passed out. It's something that I know I will never forget, for as long as I live. A tear that I didn't know existed falls from my cheek and lands on Madge's. Her eyelids flutter for a while, but remain closed. _

_I sigh at my current situation. In love. Out of favour. And I almost killed her best friend. If I had realised sooner, I could've got her. I could've won her over before Peeta even had the chance. But now I'm stuck here, with Madge. OK, maybe that's not so bad. But she's not Katniss. She's small and delicate, not strong, or dependent, like my girl. But Katniss would kill me if she got hurt. _

_I hear Rory's shouting, followed by Prim's giggle, and an adorable, "Got you!" I smile and wipe my face dry. I stand up to leave, dusting down my clothes. I reach the doorway, when I hear a faint voice. "G-gale?" I turn around to see Madge struggling to sit up. "W-What happened?" she asks. I run over and assist her in sitting upright. "What do you remember?" I question. She looks down, and then jumps on to her feet. Tears start to crawl down her cheeks as she re-lives her nightmare. She starts trembling and scratching her knuckles. Her eyes grow wide and she collapses onto me. I start to panic. "Madge? Madge! Madge, c'mon! You need to snap out of it! C'mon! Please, snap out of it!" She starts to mumble my name, and grasps my hand. When she does, I instantly calm down, and sit her down, keeping a firm hold on her dainty hands. "It's ok, you're ok. You're not there, come on, come back. Come back to me Madge." She snaps out of it when I mention her name, and she starts to shake violently. "Madge, it's ok. Everything's going to be fine." She lets go of my hands and pulls me close, sobbing into my shoulder. I stoke her curls and pat her back, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear, trying to calm her down. _

"_Madge? Madge! You're awake! Oh thank god!" Mrs Undersee runs from out the kitchen, and then freezes when she sees her daughter's tears. "Oh Madge baby, w-what's wrong?" I stand her up, and hand her to her mother, moving away afterwards. "I-I nearly d-died, didn't I?" she whispers. Mrs Undersee looks at me, a small smile on her face. "Yes, you did Madge, but Gale caught you just in time." She smiles at me again, and then Madge sniffs, wipes her eyes and runs up to me. She squeezes me, making it hard for me to breathe, whilst I awkwardly pat her back. "Erm . . . Madge? C-Can't breathe," I tell her, and she jumps back guiltily. She gives a grimace and whispers, "S-Sorry." I smile at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's fine. The mutt is dead by the way." She looks at me flummoxed, and then it dawns on her. She embraces me again, softer this time. I wrap my arms around her waist, whilst she puts her arms around my neck. "Thank you," she sighs, and I smile into her hair. Then, all too soon, she pulls away. Mrs Undersee comes up to me and gives a hug as well. I raise my eyebrows at Madge, and she just giggles and shrugs her shoulders. I smile at her and her eyes sparkle. "Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if I lost her. She's the only thing that keeps me sane." I pat her back and she lets go of me. _

_I pick up Rory and shift him onto my shoulders, then apologize to Madge and her mom. "I'd better get going. This little guy needs to get home, or my mother will start to worry." Madge nods and Mrs Undersee walks me to the door. As I leave the house, she grabs my shoulder. "Gale, you and your family are welcome here anytime. And please, tell Hazelle that if she needs anything, to just come over. I'm pretty much always in the house, or if not, Madge will be in." I nods and reply, "Thanks Mrs Undersee, I'll pass on the message." "Oh, please Gale, call me Rosalie."_

_I start walking down the street when Rosalie stops me again. "Gale. My Madge has very strong feelings for you. Please, don't hurt her," she begs. Then before I can reply, she darts back into the house and shuts the door._

**Madge**

_I hear mother walk through the door. "Madge, if it's ok with you, I'm going to go to bed. I haven't been sleeping very well," she mutters. "OK mom. I think I'm just going to sit here for a bit. I might re-watch the tribute parade; I want to see who Katniss is up against," I reply. I hear mother walking to her room, and she shouts, "That's fine Madge. But don't stay up too late."_

_I smile, sit down on the polished floor and start to think to myself._

'_I can't believe Gale saved me. I hope he didn't hear my confession. I mean, I don't know what I would do if he had to choose between me and Katniss. There wouldn't be any competition. Katniss would win every time. She's everything Gale wants. And everything I'm not._

_But even if he did hear, I wouldn't make him choose. I can tell that Katniss loves Gale. Even if she doesn't know, she does. And it's better for the two of them to be happy together. If I made them grow apart, I would hate myself. Anyways, they're better together. They're already like a couple. They just don't realise it. And why would I want to come between that? Some people wait a lifetime to find that kind of relationship. And obviously, I don't have one. _

_But I'm one of the lucky ones. Even though the man I love wants someone else, he still cares about me. I hope. And if he doesn't, then he is an amazing actor.'_

_I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and for the third time today, I cry. I love him. I love him so much it hurts. He is my only love. _

_My love, and my saviour._


End file.
